Twelfth Night

In Twelfth Night, Orsino is depicted as moody, stubborn and grabby. Yet he also shows some attention to Viola, desptie not knowing she is a woman. 

Orsino commands his musicians to 'play on'  s music feeds his desires. However, he does not let the musician continue as he interrupts, saying: 'Enough, no more. Tis not so sweet now as it was before.' Not only does this suggest that he is rich and powerful to have a musician, but he is self-centered and a little bit moody. When he says 'no more', it sounds like it would sound fitting if he clicked his fingers in the process! 

Later in the play Feste pretty much nails Orsino's eratic moods when he says the Duke's mind is 'very opal'. An opal gemstone shimmers and changes colour slightly. This does not compliment Orsino's character. It means that he only looks good from the outside and changes his mood and character often. He is temperamental and unstable. Somehow unsurprising in this play...

 We know from the opening scene that Orsino is a passionate guy and we soon learn that he's set his sights on Olivia. But, when Orsino says he's in love with the Countess, should we believe him? There's lots of evidence that says we shouldn't. For example, when Duke Orsino shares one of his erotic fantasies with us, we can see that it really has nothing to do with the Countess. Here's the Duke's description of the first time he saw Olivia:

That instant was I turn'd into a hart;
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E'er since pursue me. 

Orsino says he was turned into a "hart" (a male deer and also a play on the word "heart") and that he was chased or hunted by his own desires, which were like "hounds." So, Orsino doesn't imagine his pursuit of Olivia so much as he fixates on his pursuit of himself in a fantasy that is all about him. (Shakespeare all but invites us to imagine Orsino alone his bed – or on a bed of Violets, which he is also fond of – "pursuing.") Notice the repeated use of personal pronouns, "me," "my," and "I." Orsino is all about Orsino, not Olivia.

 

When Orsino learns that his trusty boy page "Cesario" is really a girl, Viola, he jumps at the chance to get engaged. Where did that come from? We thought he wanted to marry Olivia. The easy answer is that Twelfth Night is a comedy, so everybody has to get married at the end.

There's evidence in the play that Orsino has been attracted to "Cesario" all along, so it's not so surprising that he would want to marry Viola when her identity is revealed. Remember how we said earlier that "Cesario" and Orsino share some pretty intimate moments that seem to cause Viola to fall for the Duke? Well, these moments also trigger Orsino's fondness for "Cesario," a figure he can confide in and trust. Also, the Duke thinks "Cesario" is pretty attractive. When "Cesario" says "aw, shucks" after the Duke says "Cesario" is youthful and attractive, here's what Orsino says: